Artists absorb their
influences, their surroundings; it's a vital part of
the foundation they draw from in order to express
themselves. For a rock band, one of the greatest
challenges in my opinion is finding their own unique
voice while paying respect to the artists that
inspired them rather than attempting to write
facsimiles of their sound. This is where effortless
authenticity separates the men from the boys. It's
easier to mimic the sound of others than to work at
your own signature. It's especially difficult to
formulate your own art while honoring those who came
before you without stealing their creations outright
and claiming them for yourself.

Elbow certainly has a
unique sound. Their music has always had a soft
touch on the surface (not bubblegum soft, more like
airy, melodic, brit pop soft) but beneath the cover
of their moonlit ballads lies depth in both the
beauty of their songs as well as the despair. Their
vibe is almost like Elliott Smith might have sounded
on one of his better days. Once again I am presented
with the challenge of trying to describe music that
sounds like a sunrise to me. Does that make any
sense to you? Well, if it does at all, you might be
able to imagine how this band sounds.

While they certainly
have their own sonic signature, we can really hear
the Peter Gabriel influence on Build a Rocket
Boys!, the band's latest release. "With Love"
for example, has a Gabriel-like cadence in the
drums, the claps, the floating guitar riffs; even
the lead singer's voice sounds strikingly similar to
Gabriels'. The break-down of this song sounds like
it could have been a long-lost b-side off Us.
That sort of melodic theme continues throughout this
record. There are also tender ballads like "The
River" and "Lippy Kids" (where the title of the
album is the part of the ascending chorus). "Dear
Friends", the closing track of the record, is a
gorgeous tune, and if you're a fan of Death Cab for
Cuties' Plans album you'll probably enjoy
this song very much.

While there are no great
musical changes here (no "Bohemian Rhapsody"
moments) Elbow sings each and every song like they
truly mean it. You can feel their triumphs and their
pain; that humanistic feeling of being alive. That
is one of the few things we all share that can be
expressed through music if the artist is brave
enough to cut through all the bullshit and offer up
a glimpse of their vulnerability and turn it into
song. It's that word: Vulnerability, that sums up
the sound of Elbow to me. Their music is like the
warm embrace of an old friend when you need them the
most. They have also accomplished something very
rare in rock-n-roll today: A Sound that is
identifiable because it is familiar, but remains
original. This is no easy task, especially with new
music, where the majors continue to churn out the
same spoon fed to tweens crap day in day out (with
exceptions of course).

I heard one of the songs
off Build a Rocket Boys! while watching an
episode of Greys Anatomy this week. I have to
tilt my hat to the music supervisor of that program.
The song was picture perfect for the scene it
complemented. The imagery called for varying
feelings of joy, sorrow, and regret. There were
multiple characters, each dealing with their own
dramas, and the song (admittedly, I'm not sure which
one) cascaded throughout the scene and drew you
closer to the emotion the actors were conveying. It
was a powerful accompaniment, the sort of thing we
look for in movie soundtracks: Sounds that help to
amplify the feelings we are experiencing while
watching events unfold before us. Actually, this
album has been a sort of soundtrack for me lately,
as we've been through some rough times, and it's the
hope of better days that keep me vertical. The sound
of this album gives me the feeling that everything
will ultimately be alright. Perhaps that is the best
way I can describe how I feel when listening to this
record. If this sounds like something you're after,
check out some samples on the interweb. I sincerely
hope Elbow's music does for you what it has been
doing for me lately: Giving me a bit of hope.